The Creeping Thief

Deathly quiet is spelled with
Four letters+++D E A F
The creeping thief stole
My noise++snuck inside nightly
Covering my ears as if
I were a child who didn’t need
To hear++descending quieten
Listen how closely
Deaf and Death rhyme
Speak the same language
A never-ending river flowing
Beneath a soul rendering
Quiescence++I’m not a meme
Deaf or blind++as if there’s a choice
A suicidal pact with oneself
Locked inside a hollow skin suit++with a
Beating heart to hear++rib caged lungs
The sound silence makes
When nighttime – the Le petite mort
Hollows out sleep’s shallow breathing
Mining little deaths conscious
On your deathbed what quietus
Will you find buried heart deep
I believe++the dead hear
More than the living
Silence is a wordless obituary
Deaf rhymes with death
Does that mean I hear more

Sage Ravenwood is a deaf Cherokee woman residing in upstate NY with her two rescue dogs, Bjarki and Yazhi, and her one-eyed cat Max. She is an outspoken advocate against animal cruelty and domestic violence.